Rotterdam museum shows the impact of divas from the past and present in new exhibition

Marilyn Monroe, Tina Turner, Shirley Bassey, Cher, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Billie Eilish, are all discussed in an exhibition that can be seen starting Saturday in the Kunsthal in Rotterdam. The exhibition DIVA is not only about clothes and looks but also shows "how these divas pushed boundaries with their stage arts and created a lasting impact on society", according to the museum.

The first part takes the visitor back to the 19th century when the word diva was used to describe exceptional opera singers. Costumes of earlier opera stars such as Adelina Patti and Jenny Lind are on display, as well as the one in which their later, still adored colleague Maria Callas sang the opera Norma in 1952. "Against a background of changing views on femininity, power and creativity, these women conquered the stage and campaigned for equality," says the Kunsthal.

In the second part, the Kunsthal shows "how contemporary artists have built on the foundations of previous generations and have been groundbreaking in a film and music world that was originally dominated by men".

Attention is also paid to greats from the past and present such as Sarah Bernhardt, Josephine Baker, Édith Piaf, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Billie Holiday, Björk, Amy Winehouse, Nina Simone, Elizabeth Taylor, and Mae West.

The DIVA exhibition was created with the help of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.